Bell & Howell TacLight Reviews

About Bell & Howell TacLight

When it comes to TacLight by Bell + Howell, this military-grade tactical flashlight claims to deliver high performance.

With features like high-grade aircraft aluminum construction, 5 preset modes (zoom, strobe, SOS, low light, and more), and a bulb that’s 22X brighter than regular flashlights, TacLight can be used to deter attackers and intruders, taken along when you’re hunting or camping, or kept in your glove compartment for emergency situations.

Speaking of bulbs, TacLight’s promises to last 100,000 hours, and the flashlight’s compact and lightweight design allows it to work in all conditions—even when frozen or placed in boiling water!

TacLight claims to “do things that no ordinary flashlight can do”—but does this mean it’s right for you? Whether this is your first tactical flashlight or your 100th, we think there are several important factors you need to consider, which we’ll outline first.

What to Look For When Buying a Tactical Flashlight

During our research, we found this tactical flashlight buyer’s guide to be immensely useful. In it, we learned that when you’re shopping, it’s ideal to look at ones that meet ANSI FL1 standards. Some of these requirements include:

Light output, measured in lumens. Most tactical flashlights put out 60+ lumens, while some go up to 1,600+. Comparatively, most regular flashlights put out just 15-20 lumens.

Run time, which references how long it takes for the battery to reach 10% of its initial output. Ex: How long it would take a 100 lumen flashlight to reach a 10-lumen output.

Beam distance measures how far a flashlight’s beam reaches before approximating the “amount of light of a full moon on a clear night.”

Impact resistance, which measure how high you can drop the flashlight, without causing it to malfunction.

While we’re told that TacLight’s bulb will last 100,000 hours, that it features 5 preset modes, and it’s 22X brighter than a regular flashlight, we’re ultimately told little about the factors that really matter. In this regard, it’s difficult to know how TacLight stacks up against the competition without performing a direct comparison.

We can directly compare TacLight’s price though, which is what we’ll talk about next.

What’ll You Pay For Bell + Howell’s TacLight?

You first TacLight will cost $19.99 plus free S&H, although a second can be added to your order at checkout for an additional $10 S&H.

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TacLight comes with a 30-day refund policy, as well as a lifetime guarantee, both of which are positive. But remember that this is less S&H charges, so if you ponied up for the BOGO offer, you’ll lose more than you get back by the time you ship it back the company.

Bell + Howell’s customer service department can be reached at 877-415-4824.

Compared to these prices, TacLight’s commercial was correct when stating that many other tactical flashlights can cost $60 and up. Does this mean that it’s a better value, though?

We’ll tackle this important question in a second. But first, let’s talk about the company behind the product.

Who Makes TacLight? Are They Reputable?

Although Bell & Howell was originally founded in 1907 as a motion picture machinery manufacturer, today, its trademark is licensed out to a variety of consumer electronics. Many of these have made their way into the As Seen on TV space through products like Bell + Howell’s microBrite, Solar Charger, UltraSonic Pest Repeller, and many others.

Like many ASOTV products, the most common complaints associated with Bell + Howell’s products are failure to work as advertised, quality that leaves something to be desired, and less-than-stellar customer service. Don’t think that this is unique though, and it definitely doesn’t mean you’re sure to experience the same thing with TacLight.

How Much Value Will Bell + Howell’s TacLight Provide?

The BrightReviews team is passionate about giving you the information you need in order to make smarter buying decisions. In this regard, we already discussed the fact that, although TacLight definitely seems to offer many useful features, we’re not told much about it, or how it stacks up against the competition.

From this perspective, it’s difficult to recommend purchasing something
“blind,” without a full understanding of what you’re getting for your hard-earned money.

Features are one factor in the “value equation;” the other is how much use you’ll get out of TacLight. To this extent, ASOTV products don’t exactly have reputations for high quality and longevity, regardless of the manufacturer. On top of this, they often come with steep, non-refundable S&H charges, which can actually end up costing you money by the time you ship them back.

Is TacLight worth taking the risk? Ultimately, this is something only you can answer. But if you decide to roll the dice, be sure to come back later and tell us about your experience with TacLight by leaving your review below!

ASOTV buy. Arrived together in good time. It's been 4 months now, working fine and have a nice feel and build, pretty darn bright too. One power button a little temperamental. They munch batteries though, dollar store Alks 4/pk helps a lot. When my outside one gets to 1/3 power (about 3 weeks) I switch batteries to my inside one (full power inside is WOW bright).

Noticed this is a generic product as I have seen exact model under a couple different brands. Inexpensive deal, OK by me. Based on some unexpected above reports would qualify my recommendation accordingly. They do surprise some people outside being so little and that's fun. A satisfied user, period.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Help others find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful?yesno3 out of 3 people found it helpful

Bought 2 Tac flashlights and two lanterns for $50. The flashlights eat batteries about every 10 days, only 15 minutes use a day. I called Bell & Howell and they replaced the flashlights. They said it's a switch problem. Well, the new ones are the same, eating batteries. It's just not worth it!

Outstanding flashlight

Sep 8, 2017 |
Vic
|
Florida

I bought mine at a local Walmart store and was skeptical because of some bad reviews. It seemed that everyone either loved it or hated it. I have been using mine for several months and I love it because of its small size and great light output. I have used other quality lights that are nice, but so big and heavy. This is a great product.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Help others find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful?yesno1 out of 2 people found it helpful

The flashlight worked a few times. It went into the water about five feet for a few minutes. It was inundated with water. I dried it out with rice and never worked after that. To be fair, waterproof products usually have a rating indicating how deep and long an item can be submerged. This does not say anything regarding the waterproof rating. Buyer Beware!

After reading all of the reviews, I felt going through the return process was not a viable use of time and effort.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Help others find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful?yesno12 out of 12 people found it helpful

Bummer for all those, and it's quite a bit, people who had bad experiences. I got mine at a local drug store called Walgreens for $15.00. Works like advertised. It's pretty bright, and all the functions, like strobe, and s.o.s. work as well. I can't measure the exact lumens but, it's bright. Eats batteries though, why the 4 stars. If anything changes, I'll post. Oh, had it bout 6 months.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Help others find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful?yesno9 out of 11 people found it helpful

I bought mine in Aug. and only took it out twice. The second time it failed to light up. So put new battles in and still nothing. The good news is I called up Bell & Howell and they are sending me a new one at NO CHARGE! Threw the other one away . Ph. # is 1-877-412-4824. Now that's a company I can trust. Don't bother with BCK Direct, Dallas, TX. They'll rip you off . They'll charge you $9.90 one way and of course, you have to pay sending it to them. They do exchange only but you don't know what you are getting. Why pay $19.80? Now that sounds like a scam. Your choice, good luck.

Worst customer service

May 27, 2017 |
Marites Fernandez
|
Toronto, Ontario

First of all, their agents gave and their website showed a Customer Service number 1-877-415-4824 which is NOT ASSIGNED! You can dial this number yourself and experience the deception to customers. I brought this frustration to the attention of their agents thrice but they did not believe what I reported. Why would they? Their agents are poor listeners, very rude and they rely on their scripted speech to respond to customers.

I called to check the status of my order which unfortunately, has not arrived until now, and I was referred to www.customerstatus.com. This is the worst customer service. Why can't their agents provide my order status on the phone when they have my account information right in front of their faces on the screen? They made it so difficult for their customers by sending them to another site. So, in fairness, I went to the referred site. Worst of all, when I accessed www.customerstatus.com and typed in the right and precise information, let me reiterate, right and precise information on their criteria to search for my order, the screen showed "We're sorry!. We were unable to locate your order. Please review the search criteria and reenter your information exactly as you did whey you placed your order." What a nightmare!

So, I am still crossing my fingers hoping that my ordered and paid product will come to my shipping address. Even if it comes, this company cannot eradicate the worst customer experience they gave me and I definitely will not recommend this company and any of their products to anyone. Nobody needs a headache or a stress from them. Period.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Help others find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful?yesno33 out of 35 people found it helpful

So bitter, when you try and be on the brighter side. Good positive things happen.

Aug 2, 2017

Billy Bob

I just called the number and customer service answered promptly. This does not mean I have or would buy one but it does work. I have decided to not buy based on the reviews as a whole, they are not so good.

A product to avoid

Apr 30, 2017 |
Vince Nocera
|
Columbia, SC

I was in need of a compact-type flashlight as a condition of my job and happened upon the Tac Light at a local retailer. Being the ultra-frugal consumer I am, I at first questioned if $18 for a small flashlight is a worthy expenditure (even considering this product being advertised as able to withstand being thrown in boiling water or run over by a heavy truck). Given that the 3-dollar flashlights I'd been previously buying and using were affording me at most about two months of usage before self-destructing, I decided that a slightly larger investment was warranted. Not long thereafter, I was smitten with regret. I got one day of usage from this product before it suddenly decided to cease to function altogether, even after multiple tests of new batteries. The only plus point to come of this consumer product experience is that I remembered to keep the receipt in a safe place. Returning this Tac Light for a refund will be my first order of business tomorrow morning. Long story short: Steer clear of this product.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Help others find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful?yesno38 out of 39 people found it helpful

I also fell to the hype for the one called the "SHADOWHAWK", worthless. I am a real idiot for shelling out $75 for it. I DO have one that is a worthy flashlight it is called the J5 tactical, smaller, very bright with just one AA and I've had it for almost two years and still a very good flashlight and paid less than $20 for it.

Do not buy

Apr 12, 2017 |
Robert Feeman
|
PA

I got one day of using this light walking through a warehouse. That night it no longer worked. I replaced batteries and the light still does not work. Worst purchase I have made in a very long time.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Help others find the most helpful reviewsWas this review helpful?yesno33 out of 33 people found it helpful

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